It's a National Historic Landmark and Cleveland, Ohio's oldest operating indoor / outdoor market space.
The West Side Market brings back fond memories of growing up in Cleveland, Ohio. It brings back warm memories of my grandmother, Julia Nagy. You see, she was one of those dedicated workers who worked at the West Side Market for over 50 years. Spending time with my grandmother meant a trip on the Rapid Transit downtown to visit the West Side Market.
It's a fabulous bit of Cleveland history that is well worth a trip if you've never been there!
Heritage of West Side Market
The West Side Market is THE indoor/outdoor food market in Cleveland, Ohio which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973. It's a taste of European culture and well worth a visit if you make it to Cleveland! The current building was finished in 1912 and actually sits across the street from the site of Cleveland's first open-air market, founded in 1840.
The operators of the indvidual stalls are members of the West Side Market Tenant's Association, founded in 1915. Many of the current tenants are from families that have been part of the Association for 75 years or more. That's pretty cool, don't you think?
Snapshot of West Side Market
The West Side Market
1979 W. 25th Street at Lorain Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44114
216-664-3387
800-3-SHOP2000
Monday and Wednesday: 7am - 4pm
Friday and Saturday: 7am - 6pm
The West Side Market, at the edge of Ohio City in Cleveland, is a cultural and culinary gem. Opened in 1912, the market combines graceful Neo-Classical/Byzantine architecture with a vibrant produce and meat, poultry, and dairy market. Not only is the West Side Market an interesting and fun place to visit, it's a great place to find quality groceries at affordable prices.
- History and Architecture: The ninety-five year old West Side Market consists of an indoor market with its distinctive clock tower and an adjacent semi-enclosed "outdoor" market, filled with produce, grain, and fresh flower vendors.The West Side Market, orginally created as a neighborhood ethnic market still fullfills that function as well as a fascinating daytrip destination for surburbanites and those visiting the city.
- The Interior: Inside the market, make sure to note the original quarry tile flooring as well as the decorative corbels, depicting animals and vegetables, on the market's columns. Also distinctive is the 44-foot high vaulted ceiling with its rich terracotta tile, placed in a herringbone design.
- Outdoor Market: The outdoor market features dozens of vendors offering fresh seasonal produce, such as tomatoes, peppers, corn in season, oranges, and lemons. You can also usually find large sacks of onions and potatoes as well as fresh flowers. Prices for produce tend to be much lower than in the grocery stores and the items are usually much fresher.
- Indoor Market: The indoor market features meat and poultry vendors as well as those selling cheeses, dairy products, and bakery items. It is here that the ethnic character of the market really shines. Items for sale here include Amish chickens, fresh Hungarian sausage, freshly cut steaks and pork chops, strudels, and hard and soft cheeses. Ohio City Pasta sells their homemade pasta here and there's an adjacent fish market with all varieties of fresh fish and seafood. Prices here are generally attractive.
- Restaurants and Prepared Food Stands: If all this food shopping is making you hungry, there are stands offering prepared foods throughout the market. Particularly good is the bratwurst stand in the northwest corner. You'll also find hot dogs, hot pretzels, pierogi, and more. If you prefer to sit down, there's a short order restaurant with delicious sandwiches and breakfasts on the W 25th St side of the market.
- Around the Neighborhood: The area surrounding the West Side Market is filled with other interesting ethnic food markets. Adjacent to the market is an Arabic food store, filled with grains, spices, and delicious pastries. Around the corner, on Lorain Ave. is the Athens Market, a Greek grocery with several varieties of Feta cheese, homemade baklava, vats of olives, and aisles and aisles of Greek specialty foods, dry goods, and wine.
- More Foods Stores and Restaurants around the West Side Market: In the next block on Lorain is the Honsa Market, a German emporium, filled with jams, jellies, pickles, and all kinds of tasty German food specialties.
West Side Market at a glance
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The West Side Market is Cleveland, Ohio's oldest operating indoor/outdoor market space. It is located at the corner of West 25th Street and Lorain Avenue in the Ohio City district. On December 18, 1973, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Quick, cast your vote ...
My grandmother and me a while back
The West Side Market and my grandmother
Some very fond memories ...
My grandmother, Julia Nagy, lived in Cleveland, Ohio and worked at the West Side Market for over 50 years. Throughout her working life, she often worked two jobs to support her family as both my mother and uncle [her children] were born at the start of the Great Depression.
My fond memories of my grandmother include the West Side Market as I visited there quite a few times as a young child. Me and my two sisters and brother would each have our opportunity to stay with our grandparents during the summer months and ride the Rapid Transit downtown.
Sometimes we'd go shopping at Higbee's before stopping for lunch at Mill's Restaurant, another place my grandmother also worked as a cook.
I remember the wonderful butter, bread, cheeses, meats, and desserts that she would bring home from the West Side Market. She introduced us to sweet butter and some interesting luncheon meat such as blood tongue--I've not had it since. When I had that meat in my sandwich, no one at school cared to trade with me.
Oh, that picture of me with my grandmother is in her Cleveland, Ohio home that was located at 16605 Chatfield Avenue. For her to get to her job at the West Side Market, she walked a short distance to Rocky River Drive which was a couple of blocks from Kamm's Corner and Lorain Avenue. She took a bus to the Rapid Transit station which took her downtown near the West Side Market. That was also another fond memory--riding the Rapid Transit!
P.S. My grandmother was a fantastic cook ... her stuffed cabbage was TDF!!!

The Sheriff Street Market in Cleveland
West Side Market cool pics
A group has been started at Flickr for sharing photos of the West Side Market--both past and present. Currently, there are over 220 pictures.
West Side Market courtesy of Google Maps
West Side Market Newsy Buzz ...
- Davis Bakery & Deli has excelled at pleasing palates for 70 years
- More than a few stands at the West Side Market in Cleveland purchase product from Davis Bakery. The...
- An unwelcome treat: Two men allegedly rob west-side market
- Clerks at a west-side market saw some unusual trick-or-treaters, but one duo who entered the store e...
- No Fuss, No Muss, No Truss — Thanks To Thanksgiving Takeout
- Information: www.west-side-market.com. If you're looking for a vegan holiday meal, check out Who...
- Take time this week to thank those who work behind the scenes
- ... and state law enforcement will earn kudos for the quick apprehension of a suspect in last week&#...
Cleveland History
West Side Market People
- Many tourists are also drawn to the Market due to television exposure it has received in recent years through profiles on various programs produced by the Travel Channel and Food Network.
- Most residents of the neighborhood, and many Clevelanders in general, still do a large portion of their shopping at the Market today, despite a supermarket boom in the area.
- Through the market's history, the tenants and sellers have come from a broad base of backgrounds, representing the cultural diversity of the surrounding neighborhood and Cleveland as a whole. When my grandmother worked there, you could find many Hungarians and Slovaks.
- The current roster of tenants includes those of Irish, German, Slovenian, Italian, Greek, Polish, Russian, and Middle Eastern descents, among others.
- In addition, many stalls at the Market have remained under individual family control for much of the life of the Market, in a few cases dating back to the original opening in 1912.
- P.S. I remember the Hildebrand's having a stand that my grandmother frequented as their stand was near where she worked. She was friends with them as I remember their name. Recently, I met a Bill Hildebrand who lives and works in the Indianapolis area. He mentioned having a large family from the Cleveland area--quite likely one of them that had a stand at the West Side Market.
West Side Market People Buzz ...
- One of the best experiences in NEO - WEST SIDE MARKET | REALNEO ...
- Hubbell and Benes are the architects of the West Side Market. Built almost a century ago, in 1912, t...
- The West Side Market
- One of my Facebook friends from Cleveland mentioned shopping at the West Side Market and it brought...
- All Things Cleveland Ohio: The West Side Market, Revisited
- In May of 2008, I did a feature on Cleveland's West Side Market, located on the corner of West 25th...
- Is the West Side Market a Seasonal Market? « Ask Positively Cleveland
- For close to 100 years, Clevelanders and visitors, have flocked to the West Side Market, making it t...
More about the West Side Market ...
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Getting to the West Side Market ~ Rapid Transit
West Side Market hot links
- West Side Market Official Website

The West Side Market is owned by The City of Cleveland. The Department of Parks, Recreation, and Properties is responsible for its management. All West Side Market vendors lease their spaces from the City.- The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History: West Side Market
- The West Side Market, Cleveland's oldest publicly owned market, began in 1840 when Josiah Barber and Richard Lord gave Ohio City (City of Ohio) a tract of land at the corner of Pearl (W. 25th) and Lorain streets with the stipulation that it always be kept as a public market site.
- City of Cleveland: West Side Market Profile
- Savor Cleveland's rich history through its ethnic foods--while shopping for groceries--by taking a trip to the West Side Market. Since 1913, this center of lively conversations spoken in a wide array of dialects has become a tradition for generations of Cleveland families, and a must-see for visitors.
- Crain's Cleveland Business: Cleveland Landmarks Page
- A popular place to shop for fresh fruits, vegetables and meat, the building is one of the largest indoor/outdoor markets in the country.
West Side Market, one of the country's largest indoor/outdoor markets, began operating at the corner of West 25th and Lorain in 1859. The land it occupied, across the street from its current location, was deeded to Ohio City in 1840 with the stipulation it always be used as a public market site. - West Side Market: Yahoo Travel
- Rated #1 for all Cleveland things to do!
- West Side Market on Wikimapia
- Indoor/outdoor food market, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973. The current building was finished in 1912: it sits across the street from the site of Cleveland's first open-air market, founded in 1840. The operators of the indvidual stalls are members of the West Side Market Tenant's Association, founded in 1915. Many of the current tenants are from families that have been part of the Association for 75 years or more.
- West Side Market & Other Sights
- A great summary of some sights to visit in Cleveland, Ohio including the West Side Market.
- Farmers' Markets and Market Houses in Cleveland
- A terrific page to find out detailed historical information about the food markets of Cleveland.
The news on the West Side Market
Topical, relevant and spot-on
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Drop me a line ...
Are you from Cleveland now or originally and heard of the West Side Market? Actually been there or known someone who's worked there? Why, drop me a line and let's reminesce.
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Reply
- lakeerieartists lakeerieartists Sep 17, 2009 @ 6:19 pm
- Incredible lens. I am going to add a link to this lens from a few of my Cleveland lenses. Blessed by an angel.
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Reply
- genglo genglo Aug 20, 2008 @ 9:03 am
- Fantastic lens! I have been working on a zippers lens for the Market, but it's still under-developed. I love the perspective you have as a former Clevelander. I'd love to feature this lens in the Ohio group, if you'd like to join us.
http://www.squidoo.com/groups/ohio
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Visit the West Side Market
BTW ... Gil Hildebrand and West Side Market?
I'll just bet that our own Gil is related to the Hildebrands from the West Side Market!
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